This invention relates to exercise apparatuses used for assisting a person lifting barbells. More particularly, the invention is directed toward equipment which allows a person to workout alone without the assistance of another.
Many prior inventions meeting this categorical description have been proposed and employ the usage of guides for guiding the weight and allowing, at any point in a workout, a safe method of discontinuing the exercise. In the prior art, exercise machines employing vertically directed guide means are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,693 to Santoro, for example, discloses a device for assisting a person to perform various exercises. The apparatus employs the use of vertical guides for guiding barbells. The device uses pins and holes to set various start and finish positions for the bar which also allow the user to discontinue exercising by allowing the weight to rest at these pinned points. However, the device does not incorporate any method for moving the weight in the horizontal direction.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,739 to Lange, an apparatus is disclosed which uses compressed gas to add sudden downward force to a lifting bar that must be overcome by a user. The device is designed for developing explosive reactive power in the muscles being exercised. The invention uses a guiding system which limits movement to the vertical direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,560 to Azari discloses a multistation exercise machine for performing a large variety of exercises. Particularly, one station of the apparatus discloses a spring loaded vertically guided weight bearing bar which, again, is limited to vertically directed motion.
Similar to Santoro, U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,797 to Slade, Jr., discloses a structure which vertically guides a weight bearing bar. Rods are used to set start and finish positions for the weight bar and allow the user to start and discontinue at these points. The invention, again, limits the motion of the weight bar to the vertical direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,314 to Ceppo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,154 to Ramsey disclose vertically guided weight lifting mechanisms. Neither of these inventions allows any movement in the horizontal direction. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,244 to Tauber, Jr., discloses an exercise apparatus for use by handicapped people which also has a method for vertically guiding a weight bearing bar.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,255 to Leflar, discloses a frame for assisting a person performing a variety of push and pull type exercises with a weight bearing bar. The frame employs the use of guiding mechanisms in two distinct formats. The first format discloses a purely vertically directed method for guiding a weight bearing bar. The second method illustrates the same method for guiding another weight bearing bar on the frame, but in an angularly directed manner. The angular direction, however, is fixed for every user and cannot be adjusted.